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Posted by Ken Blankenship on 20:45:16 04/05/09
Had a very nice day birding around Key Largo. I can only add BLACK-WHISKERED VIREO to my LifeList with an asterisk so far... as I managed to find two birds singing loud and clear but neither would cooperate for views - it was crazy! The second bird sang for a full minute, and I managed to get around to the other side of it, knowing exactly where it was in the branches, yet it stopped singing suddenly and somehow I never saw it bail out, change perches, it just vanished ;) One bird was about 100 yds into the Botanical Garden walking trail, while the other was on the Grove Trail at John Pennekamp S.P. Here's a list of birds I encountered today, with numbers/notes for a few of them:
Double-crested Cormorant
Anhinga
Magnificent Frigatebird 3
Great White Heron
Snowy Egret
Tricolored Heron
White Ibis
Turkey Vulture
Osprey 4
Red-shouldered Hawk 2
Broad-winged Hawk 1
Red-tailed Hawk 1
Laughing Gull
WHITE-CROWNED PIGEON 8
Eurasian Collared-Dove
White-winged Dove 2
Mourning Dove
MONK PARAKEET 6 (nest-building in Homestead spot)
Belted Kingfisher 2
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Great-crested Flycatcher, tons - so fun to hear!
Eastern Kingbird 1
White-eyed Vireo
BLACK-WHISKERED VIREO 2 (see above)
Blue Jay
Purple Martin 2
Gray Catbird
Northern Mockingbird
Common Myna (Homestead/Florida City)
European Starling
Northern Parula 4
"Golden/Cuban" Yellow Warbler 3
Black-throated Blue Warbler 3 (all females)
Prairie Warbler, tons
Palm Warbler 12
Black-and-white Warbler 5
American Redstart 3 (all males)
Ovenbird 2
Northern Waterthrush 2 (seen well)
Waterthrush sp. 2 (chips only)
Common Yellowthroat 1
Northern Cardinal
Red-winged Blackbird
Boat-tailed Grackle
...and also, I heard a "mystery noise." I'm sure locals will be able to tell me right away what it is, I don't think it's a bird at all but it had me going. It starts with a gutteral, quick-paced chatter like "gugugugugugug" and then a series of 2-3 sounds that are very deep and kind of sound like "GUH-goh!" or "UH-oh!" I heard it at two different places today, both in mangrove forest.
Thanks,
Ken Blankenship
Marietta, GA (Cobb County)
currently in Florida City, FL (Miami-Dade County)
http://www.wingsoverga.com
770-317-8486 (cell)
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